Jns Journal of Nutritional Science

Effects of dietary milk-and soya-phospholipids on lipid-parameters and other risk indicators for cardiovascular diseases in overweight or obese men – two double-blind, randomised, controlled, clinical trials Abstract The present study examined the effect of milk phospholipids (milk-PL) on lipid metabolism and on other risk factors for CVD, in comparison with milk fat (control) or soya phospholipids (soya-PL), respectively. Two double-blind parallel-group intervention trials were conducted in overweight or obese male subjects. In the first trial (trial 1), sixty-two men consumed milk enriched with either 2 g milk-PL or 2 g milk fat (control) for 8 weeks. In trial 2, fifty-seven men consumed milk enriched with either 3 g milk-PL or 2·8 g soya-PL for 7 weeks. In trial 1, milk-PL as compared with control reduced waist circumference but did not affect plasma lipids (total, HDL-and LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol:HDL-cholesterol ratio, TAG, phospholipids), apoB, apoA1, glucose, insulin, insulin sensitivity index, C-reactive protein, IL-6, soluble intracellular adhesion molecule and total homocysteine (tHcy). Serum activities of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase were not changed. Activity of γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), a marker of fatty liver, increased in the control but not in the milk-PL group, with a significant intervention effect. In trial 2, milk-PL as compared with soya-PL did not affect the above-mentioned parameters, but decreased GGT. Subjects with the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase mutations CT and TT had 11 % (P < 0·05) higher baseline tHcy concentrations than those with the wild-type CC. However, genotype did not modulate the phospholipid intervention effect on tHcy. In conclusion, sup-plementation with milk-PL as compared with control fat reduced waist circumference and, as compared with both control fat and soya-PL, GGT activity. A high cholesterol concentration, particularly in LDL, and a low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration are accepted risk factors for CVD. Obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, is an independent risk factor for CHD in middle-aged men (1,2). Obesity promotes alterations in other intermediate risks such as dyslipidaemia, glucose intolerance and inflammatory state (2). Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease promoted by obesity is also associated with an increased prevalence of CVD (3,4). Phospholipids (PL) belong to the dietary components which may affect cholesterol metabolism. They are polar lipids which occur in all animal and plant membrane structures. The human diet provides 2–8 g PL per d, which represents 1–10 % of total fat intake. Foods with a high PL content include eggs, meats, fish, grains and oilseeds. The most common PL in foods …